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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was sprayed with an unknown substance by a man that charged her while she was speaking at a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday night.
Omar was immediately pulled away by her security and the man was tackled and restrained. Omar appeared to be shaken, but largely unharmed.
“We will continue. These f–king a–holes are not going to get away with this,” Omar shouted as the room reacted.
“It smells terrible,” a member of her entourage said as she urged her to stop and get checked out.
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The Minneapolis Police Department identified the suspect as Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, who was charged with third-degree assault.
The incident happened as Omar was hosting her first in-person town hall meeting of the year in North Minneapolis.
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Omar was speaking about immigration policy when the incident happened, just as she called for a transparent investigation and legal action against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, followed by the abolition of the agency.
“We must abolish ICE for good,” Omar said, adding that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or “face impeachment.”
After briefly stepping back amid the disruption, Omar returned to address the audience, telling the packed room she intended to continue.
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“We’re going to keep talking,” she said, insisting that she be allowed to continue for at least 10 minutes before she is checked out.
“We are Minnesota strong, and we will stay resilient in the face of whatever they might throw at us,” she added.
Omar went on to reiterate her calls for accountability within the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
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“It is important for me to continue to lead my Democratic colleagues in demanding her resignation,” she said of Noem.
“If she does not resign we are going to introduce articles of impeachment,” she added.
“During her town hall, an agitator tried to attack the Congresswoman by spraying an unknown substance with a syringe,” Omar’s spokesperson said following the incident.
“Security and the Minneapolis Police Department quickly apprehended the individual. He is now in custody. The Congresswoman is okay. She continued with her town hall because she doesn’t let bullies win,” the spokesperson added.
“I’m ok. I’m a survivor so this small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work. I don’t let bullies win,” Omar later wrote on X. “Grateful to my incredible constituents who rallied behind me. Minnesota strong.”
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey reacted to the incident, calling it “unacceptable.”
“Violence and intimidation have no place in Minneapolis,” he wrote in a post on X. “We can disagree without putting people at risk. I’m relieved Rep. @Ilhan Omar is okay and appreciate MPD for responding quickly. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated in our city.”
A statement from United States Capitol Police (USCP) also confirmed that, “a man is in custody after he decided to assault a Member of Congress – an unacceptable decision that will be met with swift justice.”
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“We are grateful for the rapid response of onsite security and our local law enforcement partners. We are now working with our federal partners to see this man faces the most serious charges possible to deter this kind of violence in our society,” the statement said.
Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
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